1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an adjustable leg exercise device which is easily adaptable into a sitting use configuration for exercising the quadricep muscles or, alternatively, adaptable into a prone use position for exercising the hamstring muscles. Of a particular advantage, is the incorporation of a two-position bench into a single exercise device, whereby the body can be placed in an ideal position for the desired exercise, while only the cost of a single unit is incurred. More particularly, the invention hereof is concerned with an exercise device including a floor-engaging frame for supporting the device, an exercise unit pivotally secured to one end of the frame and having a pair of leg-engaging regions for use during exercise, and an articulated bench which can be alternatively positioned and held into a sitting position or a prone position.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A number of leg exercise devices have been proposed in the past which allow for the alternative exercise of either the quadricep muscles or the hamstring muscles. These devices have typically included a flat, rigid, elongated, padded table support on the floor, with an exercise unit pivotally secured to the device at one end of the table. In such devices, the resistance of the pivoting unit is regulated by either placing different amounts of conventional free weights on the unit itself or attaching the pivoting unit by way of a cable and pulley arrangement to a set of vertically mounted, rail guided, selectable weights. In either case, these pivoting units of past devices have typically incorporated two separate, spaced apart leg-engaging regions. The lowermost of these leg-engaging regions is used to exercise the quadriceps by sitting on the end of the bench adjacent the pivoting unit and rotating the unit with the legs through an arc from a lowermost, vertical position, to an upper position approximately level with the bench. To exercise the hamstrings with such a device, a person would lay on the bench in a prone position with the back of the ankles engaging the uppermost leg-engaging region of the pivoting unit. The pivoting unit is then rotated through an arcuate path from a lower position, approximately level with the bench, to an upper position vertically disposed above the bench.
While in past leg exercise devices only one device is required for exercising both the quadricep muscles and the hamstring muscles, these devices have proved deficient in optimally exercising the desired muscle group. The use of a straight bench in past devices has compromised the exercise value of both the hamstring and quadricep exercises. In either exercise, the pivoting unit is not positioned relative to the body for obtaining the optimum exercise arc of the unit for the desired exercise. Additionally, the body is positioned on the flat bench in such a manner to allow other muscle groups to significantly take part in the exercise, thereby de-emphasizing the benefit to the quadricep or hamstring muscles.
In response to these known deficiencies of exercising with a single leg exercise device for both the quadricep and hamstring muscles, new devices have been proposed which more ideally position the body for the desired exercise. That is, a quadricep exercise device has been developed which incorporates a chair rotated slightly backwards in place of the flat bench of the previously used devices. Such a quadricep exercise device positions and supports the body so that exercise of the quadricep muscles is emphasized and other muscle groups are de-emphasized. Further, the slightly backwards inclined position of the chair of the device allows the pivoting unit to be rotated through an arcuate path greater than 90.degree. of rotation. Thus, the quadricep exercise begins with an acute angle formed between the tibia and femur of the leg, and ends with the leg extended and oriented past the horizontal.
A second, individual exercise device has been developed for exercising the hamstring muscles and includes an upwardly bowed bench in place of the flat bench used in previous devices. By laying in a prone position on such a hamstring bench, with the stomach approximately positioned over the bend in the bench, it has been found that the body is thereby positioned for optimally exercising and defining the hamstring muscles. Thus, for example, the incline of the bench de-emphasizes the kneecaps as a fulcrum point and additionally, de-emphasizes the musculature of the buttocks during the hamstring exercise. While these two, separate, leg exercise devices have proved effective in optimally addressing the quadricep and hamstring muscles respectively, it is, as might be expected, more expensive to purchase individual leg exercise devices for a particular muscle group. Thus, in the past, the purchaser has been presented with the choice of purchasing a single machine for exercising both the hamstring and quadricep muscles, but which is deficient in properly positioning the body for optimum exercise, or the purchaser may buy a separate leg exercise device for each exercise, which is an expensive alternative.